OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Starting with the Science

WHERE DO WE GO FROM
HERE? PROTECTING OUR
OCEAN
To more fully understand and address the threat that ocean
acidification poses, two recent reports from the National Research
council make recommendations on the development of a coordinated,
cooperative system for collecting and analyzing ocean data.
Documenting changes over time—akin to the Keeling Curve—is
particularly important. Establishment of a global effort to regularly
sample ocean chemistry and collect biological data such as the rate
of coral growth or the abundance of various types of plankton at
sites throughout the ocean would form the core of an ocean acidification
research program.
Like climate change, ocean acidification is a global phenomenon
with global consequences. Since further ocean acidification
seems inevitable, adaptation to such change will be necessary.
Work to investigate this problem and to develop ways to adapt will
require cooperation and coordination at the international, national,
regional, state, and local levels, as well as collaboration among
scientists and researchers in a wide range of disciplines.
Mounting evidence suggests that ocean acidification
has the potential to alter ecosystems, the
health of coral reefs, shellfish, and fisheries; and
affect society and the economy on a global scale.
Even if carbon dioxide emissions were curtailed
immediately, the ocean would still become more
acidic, as it continues to absorb the recently increased
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
for many years to come. So what can we do?
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A better understanding of the potential effects of ocean acidification,
as well as the ability to anticipate these changes, will be
needed for fishery managers, industries, and communities to plan
and adapt. Ocean acidification research is still in its infancy, but
the United States government has taken steps to establish a national
ocean acidification research program to support this emerging field.